Forget Me Not
by Caiteexx
Summary: As soon as she was old enough, she left the small town she grew up in, along with everybody who cared about her. After leaving every boby behind, Serena returns years later for her brothers wedding.
1. Prologue

**Forget Me Not  
>Caiteexx<strong>

I never thought that I'd go back. But here I was in my car, driving to the place I grew up. I hadn't spoken to any of my family for a year. I had been too busy to answer any of their calls and I hadn't to anyone else for at least three years. So why was I heading back to Ketchum, Idaho population 300*? My brother was getting married to his high school sweetheart. Being my youngest and only brother, I felt like I had to go – seeing as I did receive an invitation. Though I think I only received one out of spite.

I grew up in Ketchum but as soon as I turned 18, I was out of there. I had dreams to follow and a life to make. Sure, I had a life in Ketchum but one could only work in the family business for so long. I wanted a meaningful life and after leaving my family, friends and the small town behind, I had finally made one.

Now five years later, I was heading back. My family wasn't going to know what hit them. Ketchum's population was soon going to be 301.

**Authors note**

**Hey everyone. I decided to write another story so I have a bit of a selection on what stories I can write. I found that I was getting a tad frustrated with Pride and Hidden Feelings because I have all these chapters done but I can upload them because I need other chapters to lead up to them. So by having this story and my other story Pain, I have a selection of other stories to write for when I get writer's block. So before you ask, yes I will still be completing Pride and Hidden Feelings.**

**Also in the first paragraph I have typed a * next to the number 300. This is because the population of Ketchum is actually 3000, but for the sake of this story I decided to drop a zero. I couldn't find a smaller town and I really wanted a REALLY small town for this story.**

**So thank you for reading and I hope you liked it.**


	2. Chapter 1

The road was long and tiring and Serena found that instead of concentrating, her mind was elsewhere. Memories of her childhood started to come back to her. One memory after the other flitted into her mind and left leaving a reminder of all the people she had left behind.

Serena sighed; maybe she should have called first. She was scared to think of what her family would think when they opened the door to find her standing on the front doorstep with her bags. As she came closer to the outskirts of the town, she began to clutch her steering wheel of her Lexus a little tighter until she was holding onto it for her dear life. Serena pulled the car over to the side of the road for a moment to get her head straight.

'Breathe," she told herself, taking a deep breath in before counting to three and letting it out. She laid her head against the top of her steering wheel and began to cry. Why had she let this part of her life go? She had friends who she hadn't seen in five years and if that wasn't bad enough, she also hadn't seen her family for the same time. Grabbing her mobile phone she dialled the number of her friend back in New York.

_Hello.  
><em>"Hey Raye it's me."  
><em>You've reached Raye Sommer's, I can't come to the phone right now but if you leave your name and number, I will surely get back to you."<em>  
>I cursed, taking a hit at the steering wheel in frustration. I needed her, surely whatever she was doing couldn't be more important that consoling me.<p>

I threw the phone to the backseat and sighed. I might as well get this over and done with. I turned the key in the ignition and... Nothing happened. The car would make this funny noise, like it wanted to start but just couldn't quite get it. I tried over and over again, to no avail. I groaned, I was beyond frustrated. I swung my door open and stepped out to open the bonnet of the car. Once the bonnet was open I looked around the components, no idea what I was looking for or what components are what. I sighed, this was futile. I opened the front passenger door and leant over to the back to retrieve the phone I had discarded earlier. This was not how she was hoping to let her family know she was back.

She dialled the number and waited for someone to pick up.  
>"Hello there, this is the Watson residence." Came the familiar feminine voice she grew up listening to.<br>"Momma?"  
>"Serena, is that you?" I automatically felt guilty by how happy she sounded. This is the women who had bought me into this world and I had done nothing but push her out of mine.<br>"The one and only," I smiled weakly into the phone.  
>"Well this is a surprise. What's the matter dear? Are you okay?" I could hear the concern in her voice.<br>"I'm fine. Actually I'm in town."  
>"In town where sweetheart?" my mother asked absentmindedly<br>"In town Ketchum." I winced, scared of her reaction.  
>"Oh sweet Jesus! Well come round, come round!" she sounded so happy it killed me.<br>"Well you see, that's the thing... I was... but I ran into a bit of car trouble just outside town. And I was kinda hoping someone could come get me?" I said, chewing my lip.  
>"I'll get Sammy to pick you up in the truck."<br>I heard Sammy call out that he was coming and I sighed in relief.  
>"I can't wait to see my girl; well I guess you're all grown up now, aren't ya?"<br>I smiled, thinking how lucky I was to have such a great family.  
>"I'll see you soon, Momma."<p>

About twenty minutes later, Sammy had arrived and hooked the Lexus onto the back of his rusty red truck. He had had a look at the car and admitted that he didn't have a clue what was wrong but that we'd tow it to the house and get someone else to look at it. Driving in through the town I smiled weakly at how nothing had changed since I had left.

"So I didn't think you'd come," Sammy admitted, taking a left turn.  
>"Yeah, me either." I said, looking out the window.<br>"What made you?"  
>I turned around to face him, "I wouldn't miss my baby brothers wedding for the world."<br>He laughed, "Baby? Who's the tallest one now?"  
>"It has nothing about height, you're the youngest!"<br>"Nuh-uh!"  
>"Yeah-huh!"<br>Sammy chuckled, "Gosh, I've missed you around here Sis"  
>I smiled, "I bet you didn't even notice I was gone."<br>"You wanna bet? Everyone did. You did leave with out even saying anything."  
>"I left a note!" I defended<br>"Well yeah, but c'mon Serena. You loved this place and then you just up and left without so much of a word. Everyone was in a frenzy when they found out you were gone."

"I wanted to make something of my life. I didn't want to just stay in Ketchum and work at the diner for the rest of my life. I wanted excitement."  
>"Well I hope you got it."<br>I closed my eyes for a moment before answering, "I did. I love my life in New York. I have a great job and an apartment close to the city. It's all I ever wanted."  
>Sammy turned to look at me for a moment before going back to concentrating back on the dirt road. "Well at least you're happy."<br>"I am."

**I know, I know. The first chapter is quite short but the next one will be much longer. I just wanted to upload this one sooner so that everyone knew I'm still alive :)**

**Also, just in case it sounds a bit like it, this story is going to be nothing like the movie Sweet Home Alabama. I was writing it and then after I read it through I realised there was a couple of lines in it that sounded from the movie so I watched the movie and realised that they are just kinda similar, not the same at all :) Just thought I'd let you know because I don't want a bunch of reviews saying I ripped the movie off (NOT MY INTENTION BTW)!**

**Hope you like :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Forget Me Not**  
><strong>Caiteexx<strong>

**Authors note: Okay so there is really now excuse with how long its been since i've updated. Especially with my other stories. BUT I have had a hard couple of months and I really have been really really busy and whilst I have had most of this chapter written for some time, I haven't had the time to finish it. And i did go through a big stage of writters block.. Everything I wrote was really really crap but I literally just finished the chapter now.**

**I hope you enjoy it and I totally understand if you're frustrated with me...**

**R&R?**

**Oh and a side note: Pride and Hidden Feelings will be updated soon and I am considering carrying on with The Dirty Electrican or atleast writing a sequel because a few of you were either disappointed with how I ended it or didn't read the summary properly and didn't realise it was only a one shot. I shall be brainstorming. Anyho, I better go now since I've got alot of work to do and and and you guys probably want to read the story...**

**BYEEEE! xx**

Looking around my old room was like opening a time capsule. Memories that had long been forgotten came flooding back. And I was defenceless to block them out. I had only been home for half an hour before I had retired to my room, feigning fatigue from the drive. And that's where I have been since. Ha. Home. Such a simple word yet I had no idea where that was anymore. Here in my old town where I had grown up, or back in New York where I had slowly made something of myself.

There was barely any space on the four walls surrounding me that wasn't covered in either posters or photos. I sat up on my old single bed to get a better look at the room I had left behind. In the corner near the closet, was a bookcase that was so chocker full of books that it was practically overflowing. The floor in the corner furthest away from the bed, was scattered with stuffed toys, blue and white pompoms and various sporting equipment that were covered in dust. I fell back to lay down and stared at the ceiling above me. Hundreds of glow in the dark stars looked down on me. I t wasn't dark enough for them to shine yet and I briefly wondered if they still would.

I had been so focused on following my dreams and making something of myself that I didn't realise that I was loosing who I really was. In New York, the only things on my walls were paintings by celebrated artists. The big sports fan that I used to be, had slowly vanished and now the only thing I worked up a sweat doing was... a brief work out on the treadmill before getting read for work. And as far as books went, I can't remember when I had last picked up a book that wasn't a magazine. I sighed and rolled my head to the side and watched as the numbers on the alarm clock flicked from 4.31pm to 4.32pm.

I needed to get out of here, though I was not thrilled to go looking around the area. I rolled off of the small bed and stretched, trying to delay my little adventure. There was another thing that had changed since I had left. Adventures. My last adventure was leaving this place. I groaned and weighed up what would be worse, checking out the town or spending another minute in this room pitying myself. Each choice was just as unappealing as the other, but I supposed I shouldn't lock myself up. Adventure it was.

I came out to find only my dad relaxing by the TV and announced that I was going to have a look around the town. He gave a slight nod to acknowledge that he heard me, whilst keeping his eyes glued to the sports channel. Once upon a time I would have grabbed a coke from the fridge and joined him, however times have changed. I grabbed my bag from the kitchen where I had left it and grabbed my keys, only to remember that my car had broken down. Stupid thing. I threw them in my bag along with all my other useful and not so useful crap I had in there. I made my way to the door just as my mum was walking in with an arm full of groceries. And that was when my plans were thwarted.

"Where are you off to?" she asked me, looking me up and down with approval.

I had changed my shoes. Instead of wearing my signature heels, I had donned a cute pair of black flats. My mother never did condone high heels and it wasn't until I had got a job in New York that I had started to wear them.

"I thought I would go have a look around the town, see what has changed since I was last here."

She grabbed hold of my arm and turned me around, dragging me back in the direction of the kitchen.

"Oh, no you don't. You can do that tomorrow. We are having a few guests over tonight, seeing as you are back I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to have a dinner party. You can catch up with everyone."

"A party? Can't we do that another time? Maybe let me get settled first?"

"You look settled to me, besides it can't really be a 'Welcome Home' party a week after you arrived. That's just silly. You might as well not have a party at all." She rambled, putting the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter.

"Now there's an idea!"

"Help me put these away? Then you and I can get started on preparing everything." She said, ignoring my sarcasm.

I sighed, "Sure mum."

"Thanks sweetie, now I just have to get your father away from that TV to clean the barbeque."

After all the groceries had been put in their rightful places in the fridge or cupboards. I started making a few different salads while my mother began mixing up several desserts. It was almost like old times. Almost.

Six o'clock finally came and people had started to arrive. I had yet to get ready. So after a few quick re-introductions, I retired to my room for a quick shower. I dug through my luggage and found a short but modest cocktail dress. Unlike most dresses I was used to wear to parties in New York, this outfit was hardly figured hugging. I could just imagine everyone's reacting had I worn my usual outfit. The dress was a little white floral number with an empire waist, a low cut neckline and thick yellow straps. Raye had bought it for me one Christmas; I had yet to have an opportunity to wear it. And now looked like the perfect occasion. I quickly pulled my smooth hair into a long side fish braid and tied it with a neutral coloured hair band to blend in with my blonde hair. I applied some mascara and some lip gloss to complete the look. I didn't have time to go all out with make up because I was sure that my mother would come looking for me at some point.

After a last quick glance in the mirror, I deemed myself suitable to mingle with my old life. I swung my door open to be automatically met with high pitched shrieks and I felt the wind be knocked out of me when I felt something literally fling themselves on to me.

I pulled back to find that that 'something' was two of my old friends. Lita and Mina. I was surprised, to say the least. When my mum said she was expecting a few guests, I did not expect her to invite my old gang. I honestly thought I would have to mingle with a group of old women. Tonight might just be fun after all.

"OH MY GOD! You're really back! When Irene said you had come home, I seriously thought she was joking. But you're really here!" Mina squealed.

"Yeah, I'm really here." I laughed. Now I had seen them again, I realised I really had missed them.

"We have so much to catch up on! I'm so glad you're back," Lita grinned.

"I'm happy to see you guys," I smiled. "It's been so long. But maybe we could catch up on old times somewhere else than the doorway to my old room?"

They laughed and dragged my out into the backyard where everyone else had arrived. Only as soon as I had taken a step outside, I was ambushed by my mother.

"Hey girls," she greeted. "You don't mind if I borrow her for a second do you?"

"Muuum!" I whined when she linked arms with me again. "I was just catching up with my friends!"

I didn't want to be re-introduced to all the middle aged women, to whom I would have to exchange pleasantries and pretend to be interested in their old boring lives. I know I sounded like a brat but if you had grown up with these women in such a small town as Ketchum, then you'd understand.

"You'll have plenty of time to catch up with the girls in a minute. I just want you to meet someone. Well re-meet them." She laughed, she obviously thought that little comment was funny...

I groaned and went along with her. She walked up to some guy and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around.

"Serena, you know-" she started before I cut her off.

"Darien?"

"Serena?"

_**Ooooooooooh! Also something that I didn't put up the top:**_

_**Any spare time that I have had, I been using reading other peoples stories because it's kind of addictive :)**_

_**I have discovered the treasure of Twilight fanfics which are actually really really good even though I don't really like Twilight.**_

_**All this time that I've been hating on my best friend for reading that crap and it turns out its friggen awesome! So Charleexx I am forever indebt to you.**_

_**LOVE YOU!**_

_**READ AND REVIEW! :) Please?**_


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